Taxi safety fears among students Uber-high

Over half of Warwick students do not always feel safe using taxis at university, as fears over driver licensing and vehicle safety continue to cause concern, an investigation by The Boar has found.

A recent poll by The Boar found that 42% of students only feel safe using taxis when they are in a group with other people – a statistic that rises to over 56% when considering only female respondents.   

These findings come just weeks after Warwick District Council suspended one taxi driver in Leamington Spa and found two other vehicles to be close to borderline requirements during an inspection of out-of-district taxis.  

Concerns have arisen across the UK in recent months over the safety of taxis, particularly for young people, after reports found that some drivers have been bypassing strict safeguarding and safety rules by obtaining licenses from councils with more lax regulations, thanks to a loophole in legislation introduced in 2015.  

I feel unsafe if the driver takes a different route to the one that I’m expecting, or the one that I have open on Google Maps

Boar poll respondent

Private hire taxi drivers can operate nationally across England, regardless of where their licence was originally issued, which has caused a spike in taxis operating outside of their registered district.  

Concerns have been raised in a recent report by Baroness Louise Casey, which was accepted in full by the government, that such rules have allowed for male taxi drivers to prey on vulnerable girls, and have permitted child sex grooming gangs to operate across borders.  

Wolverhampton has become a hotspot for registrations, with more than 10% of all English taxi licenses now issued in the city, even though 96% of these licenses are held by drivers who do not live in Wolverhampton.  

While all taxi drivers, regardless of where they are registered, have to go through certain checks by law, such as a DBS check, some local authorities go a step further in outlining what taxi drivers require to obtain a licence.  

Warwick District Council, for example, outline numerous requirements in their 115-page handbook on policies and procedures, including clear criteria of what constitutes a ‘fit and proper’ driver, including honesty, awareness of a passenger’s special requirements, and knowledge of the area.  

Taxi drivers wanting to obtain a license from Warwick District Council require a knowledge of key landmarks in the area, including Rootes at the University, Leamington Railway Station, and Birmingham Airport

With many taxi drivers operating in and around the University registered outside of the district, questions have been raised, however, over whether students are safe using private hire vehicles, including those ordered on ride-share apps.  

While the likes of Uber emphasise that “safety is built into your experience”, many respondents to The Boar’s poll noted how they still feel unsafe in vehicles ordered through the app, such as when a driver takes an alternative route to the one shared when booked. 

One respondent said: “I feel unsafe if the driver takes a different route to the one that I’m expecting, or the one that I have open on Google Maps.” 

Taxi drivers wanting to obtain a license from Warwick District Council require a knowledge of key landmarks in the area, including Rootes at the University, Leamington Railway Station, and Birmingham Airport. Taxi drivers registered in places like Wolverhampton are evidently not required to have the same knowledge, yet they can still operate in the area.  

Other respondents to The Boar’s poll also shared experiences with “unsafe” and “disturbing” drivers, with one person commenting that their taxi driver had been driving “recklessly” and asking “unwarranted personal questions and advice”.  

Another respondent, who had left their phone in an Uber after a night out, said they were left ‘extraordinarily distressed’ after their friend received a message on Snapchat from the driver, calling them a ‘dumb fuck’

The driver also “kept trying to offer to do different things” when they dropped the respondent off, including walking her girlfriend to their car and “coming to clean our car’s windscreen”, which left them feeling uncomfortable especially “as two women” on their own.  

Another respondent, who had left their phone in an Uber after a night out, said they were left “extraordinarily distressed” after their friend received a message on Snapchat from the driver, calling them a “dumb fuck”.  

Even among those students who have had negative experiences in taxis, two-thirds of respondents (67%) to The Boar’s poll said that they would not know how to report any incident that made them feel unsafe.  

In a statement to The Boar, Warwick District Council’s licensing team urged “students and other members of the public to report any concerns about licensed drivers or vehicles”.

Complaints about taxi drivers or vehicles can be submitted on the Warwick District Council website, or through customer service support on apps such as Uber. Students “should include as many details as possible such as the vehicle registration, drivers’ badge or licence number, time and location of the journey, and a description of the driver or vehicle”, the Council said.

The licensing team also added that, even if the complaint is about a private hire booked via an app like Uber, “details can also be shared with the council so we can pass them to the relevant licensing authority.”

Uber […] have also called on the government to introduce legally-binding national standards for taxi licensing, including mandatory in-vehicle CCTV recording and GPS tracking

While the number of taxi drivers operating outside of the area that they are registered in is increasing, councils are cracking down on drivers and vehicles which are operating outside of safety guidelines.  

An enforcement check of 27 vehicles carried out in Leamington on 4 October resulted in one driver being suspended for not having their taxi plate affixed to their vehicle and for having tinted windows.   

Two further vehicles were also temporarily restricted from operating for having borderline unsafe tyres, though these have since returned to the roads after further inspection.  

Warwick District Council cabinet member, Cllr Jim Sinnott, praised the work of licensing teams in the area, saying: “It’s not illegal for taxis licensed by other authorities to operate across our district, but we must ensure as far as possible that these vehicles meet the high standards required by our Council.”  

The government has also responded to concerns over taxi safety, with the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander committing to review current laws and to hold local authorities who are not following compliance rules to account.  

Warwick District Council […] told The Boar that their ‘licensing team is committed to keeping the public safe when using licensed taxis and private hire vehicles across the district’

Uber, who are not bound by the same rules as traditional taxis in the UK, have also called on the government to introduce legally-binding national standards for taxi licensing, including mandatory in-vehicle CCTV recording and GPS tracking.  

Nevertheless, despite The Boar’s findings, 71% of respondents said they would still feel safer using a taxi after a night out than walking home, while 30% said they would feel safer in a taxi than on a train or a bus.  

The University advises students to be aware of their safety when using taxis, including to not get in taxis on the street unless it is a licensed hackney carriage and to only use private-hire vehicles that you have booked via phone.  

Warwick District Council also told The Boar that their “licensing team is committed to keeping the public safe when using licensed taxis and private hire vehicles across the district”.

Always share your location with someone as soon as you get in a taxi

Boar poll respondent

“We share safety advice at community events and through our Community Wardens, who also support the Safe Space scheme. When council officers are out during the evening, they will speak to students and hand out cards with helpful tips on how to stay safe when using taxis. Like many councils, we support the reform of taxi and private hire laws to give local authorities more control over out-of-area vehicles.”

One respondent to The Boar’s poll also shared their advice to “always share your location with someone as soon as you get in a taxi”.

Uber was contacted for comment.